


At the End of the Day

by stargatefan_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Drama, Episode: s10e14 The Shroud, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-02
Updated: 2008-06-02
Packaged: 2018-12-17 17:04:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11855937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargatefan_archivist/pseuds/stargatefan_archivist
Summary: Jack's worried about Daniel. Daniel has other concerns





	At the End of the Day

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Yuma, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Stargatefan.com](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Stargatefan.com). To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [StargateFan Archive Collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StargateFan_Archive_Collection).

**DANIEL JACKSON: I still think it was the right thing to do.  
**  
CAMERON MITCHELL: We may have made things worse right now. But in the long run, it could be our only chance to win the war.  
Daniel left the bridge in silence. He didn’t want to see anymore of the Ori ships pouring through the gate. He didn’t want to think about what came next - for a little while, anyway. He was tired and his head hurt. He wanted to be away from here, to be home. He couldn’t wait to get home.

“Daniel! Wait.” Jack followed him into the Odyssey’s corridor. “You okay? How‘re you holding up?”

“I was wondering… When the aliens from Tonane’s planet were impersonating us, you believed…” Daniel stopped. “Uh, you knew I wasn’t one of them. Why didn’t you this time, Jack?”

“Well, I didn’t know for sure that time, either, but since the other option was shooting you, I decided to go for it! C’mon, Daniel! There’s a big difference between ‘should I shoot maybe-Daniel’ and ‘should I trust maybe-Daniel with the fate of the entire galaxy!’ And I gotta tell you, the weird Prior makeover really didn’t help!”

“Okay. Yes, I can see that. Sorry, I just wondered…” Daniel lifted his eyebrows and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He really wished he had his glasses. He had a pair of those at home, too.

“We did stop Woolsey from ‘terminating you immediately’. You know we wouldn’t have let him kill you, right?” 

“Well, Vala did tell me that she was ‘planning on making a plan’ about that…” 

Jack gave him a look. “I didn’t so much have a plan as a zat. I was going to shoot Woolsey and play it by ear. Wasn’t going to happen, Daniel!” 

“Er, thanks?” 

“If the IOC hadn’t gotten in the way, we would have been behind your plan right after you talked to Teal’c. I wanted to believe you, Daniel! I just had to be sure that it wasn’t…wishful thinking, so I got Teal’c to back me up.”

Jack gave Daniel’s blue hospital scrubs a disapproving look. “Let’s break into some lockers and see if we can’t find you some clothes.” Jack raised his brow and waved a master key at Daniel, who fell in beside him silently.

As they headed down the corridors, Jack eyed his former teammate. The frown, he recognized; the quiet and somewhat grim reserve? Not so much. He found himself remembering that big goofy grin on Daniel’s face when they’d returned from the mission to blow up Apophis’ ships. Each of them had thought the other had died. He missed that grin. It had disappeared a long time ago.

_Damn it! Daniel…_ This had never been what he wanted. He had wanted Daniel to learn to be safe; as safe as was possible at the SGC, and now he was taking on the Ori by himself? Daniel was not supposed to be out there alone, without a team to back him up! He got left behind. Again.

Jack started opened the locker of one “Sgt. A Phelps”. He pulled out a BDU shirt and checked the size. “Nope, this is way too small, especially with all the weight lifting.” _You look like a soldier, Danny... You move like a soldier. Hell, this is why I didn’t want you using a P90; not because you couldn’t, because I knew you could._

He locked up again and moved on down the row. Daniel was leaning on a locker with his arms crossed and his head down. Frowning. Still not talking. Jack opened another lock. “These look better.” 

Daniel pushed himself off from the locker where he had been trying very hard not to think, and looked at the tag. “Close enough. Whose clothes am I stealing? 

“Not ‘stealing’, Daniel! ‘Borrowing.’ 

“Okay, whose clothes am I ‘borr-ow-ing’?” He dragged on the pants tiredly. 

Jack pulled the locker door back far enough to see the name. “Sgt. G. Collins.”

“I’ll get them back as soon as we’re at the SGC.” His voice was muffled as he pulled the black T-shirt over his head. He grabbed the long sleeved BDU shirt from the locker and shrugged into it. 

“Boots?” 

“Let’s see… They look a bit small.” Daniel peered nearsightedly into a boot. “Again, close enough. Lucky.” He pulled at the laces.

“I should have let you go to Atlantis.” 

Daniel was bent over, trying to get his foot into the boot. He stopped, mid-pull. “What do you mean? When?” 

“The first time you asked. The first damn time you asked.”

Daniel turned his attention back to the clearly too small boot. “And how well would that have worked out? Anubis? Replicators? You were right, Jack. I was needed here.” He knew it now, even if he hadn’t known then.

The note of resignation in his voice dug at Jack. “Later, then.” Jack shoved his hands in his pockets. He felt more like punching a locker. 

Daniel finished lacing the boot and reached for the second. “You didn’t stop me from going then, Jack. Vala did. Twice. Besides, I’d just be fighting the Wraith instead of the Ori.” He turned his head and gave Jack a slight smile. It wasn’t the smile that Jack missed. Not by a long shot. 

”You should be an explorer again, Daniel. Discovering things… You know, all that ‘meaning of life’ stuff that you love.” 

“Well, last time I tried that, I pretty much opened the door to the Ori and told them to come and get us!” Daniel laced the second boot forcefully. “So that worked out well. I’m starting to think that the whole ‘discovery’ thing might be overrated. It’s either that, or I’m the Typhoid Mary of alien invasion… We don’t need meaning of life stuff right now. We need a big honkin’ space gun!” He gave a short laugh and straightened up. “I had to be here. I had to destroy the Ori. And now we have to destroy the Priors and the Ori army. Thanks for the clothes, Jack.” Daniel turned to go back to the bridge.

Jack was struck by the strangeness, the sheer wrongness, of Daniel Jackson talking about destruction like a shopping list. “You couldn’t know! There was no reason not to think that thing was a communications device or something else that we could really use. There was absolutely no reason to think that it would send you to a galaxy full of psycho, evil ancient wannabes! We all thought it was worth the risk. When this is over, you are going back to finding… places like Heliopolis! I’m going to make sure of it! I promise you, I will make it happen.” _And hope like hell that Daniel can find a fraction of the curiosity and… God, what have we done to you, Daniel? The SGC and the Ancients, hand in hand._ “You didn’t come back for  this!”

Daniel turned back, his eyes intense. “You can’t promise that, Jack. It’s not your fault! It never was! It’s the Goa’uld, the Replicators and the Ori and whatever… thing comes along next!” Daniel took a deep breath. It sounded more like a sigh. He took a step toward Jack and laid a hand on his shoulder. That half-smile was back. “Don’t worry. It’s okay… I’m just…tired.” He let his arm drop and ran a hand over his face. 

“And I think this is exactly why I came back.” 

Jack watched his friend: archeologist, linguist, diplomat - and soldier, walk away in his borrowed clothes. 

_It’s not okay with me, Daniel, and if this is why you came back, it’s not going to be the only reason. Not if I can help it…_


End file.
